In addition to the Pentagon, several airlines have been publicizing efforts to produce alternatives to traditional jet fuel. But other than a few publicity efforts, there has been very little said by anybody flying jets regarding a timeline for production.

Much of the tremendous fuel the military burns each year is used up by the Air Force and Navy’s thirsty jets. Barbara McQuiston of the Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency (Darpa) told The Guardian, research projects have already produced fuel from algae at a cost of $2 a gallon. She said a large scale production operation would come on line in 2011. The facility would be able to produce 50 million gallons a year, and the costs would be competitive with traditional, petroleum based fuels.